The present invention relates to an agent to set and care for hair, containing tetraoxyethylene lauryl ether and a cationic copolymer of vinylimidazolium methochloride and vinyl pyrrolidone.
Usually agents to set and care for hair consist of solutions of film-forming natural or synthetic polymers. Such natural polymers are shellac, alginates, gelatines, pectines, chitosan salts, and cellulose derivatives. Synthetic polymers that can be used are, for example, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl acetate, polyacryl compounds such as acrylic acid or methacrylic acid polymers, basic polymers of esters of these two acids with aminoalcohols or the salts or quarternization products of these basic polymers, polyacrylnitrile, and copolymers of such compounds, for example, polyvinylpyrrolidone vinyl acetate or polyvinylpyrrolidone dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate.
In addition to the foregoing, agents used to care for hair and to strengthen a set in order to improve wet combability and the feel of the hair, particularly of damaged hair, frequently contain monomer quaternary ammonium compounds such as, for example, alkyltrimethylammonium chlorides, dialkylmethyl- ammonium chlorides, alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chlorides, and alkylpyridinium chlorides.
However, additives containing these kinds of quaternary ammonium compounds reduce the physiological compatibility of such preparations, in particular with regard to the eyes.
Our own DE-OS 34 01 037 describes a cosmetic agent for caring for and strengthening the hair comprising tetraoxyethylene laurylether and a quarternized copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone and dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate, in which an addition of such quarternary ammonium compounds is not required.
However, the hair-conditioning properties of these agents are not completely satisfactory, particularly in the case of damaged hair (see test example 1). Furthermore, because of the high price of the quaternized copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone and dimethylamino ethylmethylacrylate that are used, this agent is comparatively costly.
In contrast to this, it has now been found that a simultaneously outstanding conditioning and good strengthening of the hair can be achieved by the use of a synergistic combination of tetraoxyethylene lauryl ether and a cationic copolymer of vinylimidazolium methochloride and vinylpyrrolidone.